tikijimmy
Active Member
- First Name
- Jimmy
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2020
- Threads
- 5
- Messages
- 34
- Reaction score
- 41
- Location
- Southern California
- Vehicle(s)
- 2020 Gladiator Overland
- Thread starter
- #1
Just took the first big trip with my 4-ish month old Gladiator Overland. I was surprised at how well it went!
Because of the pandemic, we didn't want to get on a plane. So we packed up the dog and the 2-year old and headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house on the east coast. We drove 3,064 miles over 6 days. We drove a bit less than we'd normally drive in a day, but we didn't want the boy to start melting down. (He did great, by the way!)
Some thoughts:
In addition to the headliners, I've also added a bed cover (also DIY), and a luggage rack on top of the bed cover. I've built two shallow bed drawers also. The distance between the new "floor" of the bed and the bed cover is spaced exactly to hold a plastic bin, and that's how we packed everything. No luggage, just a bunch of plastic bins. They are easier to see into, are mostly waterproof, and are easier to stack on a hotel luggage cart. I highly recommend traveling with bins instead of luggage!
I also installed a front and rear dashcam for the trip. Luckily, nothing happened that required any of the footage, but it's still nice to have. I ran all the wires through the trim at the top of the windshield and mounted it behind the rearview mirror, so it's basically invisible to me. It'll live there quietly recording in case I ever need it. I wired it to one of the AUX switches, so I can turn it on and off when I want it.
You may also see from my profile pic that I added some pinstripes and a vintage-inspired "Overland" hood logo to the Gladiator. I LOVE the Metallic Punkin color, but it needed a little something to break up the sea of orange.
Overall it was a great trip. Can't wait to take the Overland camping with the family this fall!
Because of the pandemic, we didn't want to get on a plane. So we packed up the dog and the 2-year old and headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house on the east coast. We drove 3,064 miles over 6 days. We drove a bit less than we'd normally drive in a day, but we didn't want the boy to start melting down. (He did great, by the way!)
Some thoughts:
- The Gladiator is pretty comfortable on the highway. I have the stock 255/70R18 Overland tires on aluminum wheels. I think the longer wheelbase really helps the ride over a Wrangler.
- It was pretty quiet. I added some DIY headliners (reflective foam insulation covered with a couple layers of fabric) to the hardtop, and it really helped cut down on wind noise. It's still not as quiet as a luxury sedan, but certainly in the "comfortable" zone.
- Gas mileage was better than expected. I logged my mileage and gas consumption each time we filled up, and the reported mileage was always very close to the actual mileage. I averaged about 21 mpg over the course of the trip. I got about 17 mpg over the mountains of eastern California and through Colorado, then easily cruised at 23-24 mpg on the flats across Texas and Oklahoma. For comparison, I get about 16-19 mpg around town in my dailiy driving.
- The UConnect system (I have the 8.4 inch) is SO MUCH BETTER than the system that was in my Honda Ridgeline. I love that CarPlay is just a part of the overall interface, and I can still get to the Jeep controls. In the Honda, once I plugged in my phone, CarPlay took over the whole dash and I had to exit to the main menu to do anything related to the vehicle. Carplay also connected way faster (within a couple seconds of turning the truck on)
In addition to the headliners, I've also added a bed cover (also DIY), and a luggage rack on top of the bed cover. I've built two shallow bed drawers also. The distance between the new "floor" of the bed and the bed cover is spaced exactly to hold a plastic bin, and that's how we packed everything. No luggage, just a bunch of plastic bins. They are easier to see into, are mostly waterproof, and are easier to stack on a hotel luggage cart. I highly recommend traveling with bins instead of luggage!
I also installed a front and rear dashcam for the trip. Luckily, nothing happened that required any of the footage, but it's still nice to have. I ran all the wires through the trim at the top of the windshield and mounted it behind the rearview mirror, so it's basically invisible to me. It'll live there quietly recording in case I ever need it. I wired it to one of the AUX switches, so I can turn it on and off when I want it.
You may also see from my profile pic that I added some pinstripes and a vintage-inspired "Overland" hood logo to the Gladiator. I LOVE the Metallic Punkin color, but it needed a little something to break up the sea of orange.
Overall it was a great trip. Can't wait to take the Overland camping with the family this fall!
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